Talking press relations

Staying in contact - other PR tools
Here, we look at things you can do, over and above issue press releases, to engender a good relationship with the press.

Depending on what your company does, you’ll find a use for some or all of the following:

Feature articles etc
Unless you're in the "we don't do PR" camp, you probably won't need much persuading that to have articles from, or about, your company appearing regularly in the press is a desirable objective. Of course it is. And it's also a fully realisable objective. But it takes discipline and effort. And a reasonably detailed knowledge of how the press works. Here, we discuss some of the issues involved.

We've already discussed the press release, and we've agreed that - used properly - it has some real strengths. But it also has some significant weaknesses. For example, its very nature means that it is relatively brief and simple - it's not an appropriate vehicle for long or complex explanations or debate. Furthermore, because it is a "broadcast" (i.e. one-to-many) technique, the information is, once issued, in the public domain and, therefore, non-exclusive. It can be used by anyone.

However, the feature article is a horse of a different colour. It is generally much more in-depth than a press release, and is published (usually) by exclusive agreement with an editor. It is a very powerful PR tool, and any PR programme worth its name will aim at delivering a regular stream of them.

But it won't happen by accident.

So, what will make it happen? Below, we look at the basics of getting a single article published. First, though, what do we mean by a feature article, and why is it so valuable?

The value of pull
Generally speaking, products and services can be marketed in two ways - "push" and "pull". The push approach generally consists of the promotion of a particular product or service, largely for its own sake, without detailed or specific examples of the solution it provides. This is press release territory.

Pull messages, on the other hand, usually take the form of a case study, or application note, where a third-party or end-user is seen to endorse the product through describing its implementation. This is the stuff of the feature article. But not the only stuff. Another valuable approach, especially in the trade sector, is the technical article. Also, the press in general has a high interest in those willing (and qualified) to act as visionaries, so opinion and "blue sky" pieces can be powerful PR instruments, too.

Draft first, place later
We'll comment on the drafting process later. For now, let's assume you already have an article, and you want to place it. How do you go about it? Well, the steps in the process are quite straightforward. Self-evident, in fact. And they are: (1) identify one or more potentially interested parties, (2) approach one and sound out, (3) if interested, supply the piece, (4) if not, step and repeat from (2) until successful.

Simple stuff, in principle. As it is in practice, too, usually. The main requirement is time. However, it is worth reviewing the basic guidelines.

Who? You may already know who to talk to in your target press. But if not, don't worry. As long as you approach things in an appropriate way (see below), the editorial community generally welcomes suggestions from the marketplace. Of course - to save everyone's time - it's worth establishing whether the title accepts contributions in the first place, either by reference to a PR database, if you have one, or by looking at a copy of the magazine (you can usually tell from this). Contact names, again, will be found on your PR database - and listed somewhere inside the publication. If you choose the wrong name, you'll be passed to someone appropriate.

Exclusivity. Unless you explicitly say otherwise, editors assume you are offering on an exclusive basis. In other words, they assume they have first use. If an article is accepted and, before it's published, the editor wakes up one morning to find it's appeared in another (competitive) title, you won't be flavour of the month. It's generally speaking OK if it appears elsewhere after they've used it, but then, of course, you've got the same problem with the other editor. If you want to place the same piece with two or more titles in the same sector, you'll need to reshape it in some significant way.

Deadlines. Publishers book time slots with a printer. These slots are fixed. Which means editorial deadlines are fixed. If you commit to supplying a piece, and you miss the deadline, then don't expect the presses to be held for you - you've missed your opportunity. In fact, it's worse than this, because you've very likely left the editor with a "white space" problem. In practice, of course, most editors have a Plan B to take account of this contingency, and will fill the space OK, but it's not the way to make friends and influence people. You'll find it harder to sell into the title at a future date.

Illustrations. Often you'll be asked for a photo, or other illustration (e.g. a diagram, chart etc.). The same rules apply here as with the press release: for editorial appeal, form tends to win out over content. Although they're non-critical for the placement process itself, good photography usually mean that your piece, when published, will be attributed more space. It's definitely worth making sure you can support a piece with relevant illustrations.

In the next issue: Doing it in style